Riot Police Assault Workers in Nigeria

Riot police stormed a major labor rally Tuesday, the second day of a paralyzing national strike in Nigeria, firing into the air and beating union workers and journalists with whips and rifle butts.

At least three journalists, including Associated Press photographer George Osodi, and an unknown number of striking union workers were injured in the police attack on the 1,000-plus rally at a federal government complex in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.

Separately, unions accused police of shooting and killing four protesters Monday in villages around Abuja. Police denied knowledge of such killings.

Police arrested union workers after Tuesday's violent raid, during which hundreds of protesters ran for shelter in the capital's government buildings.

Three heavily armed police in riot gear dragged Osodi from the rally and joined about 10 other officers outside in striking him with rifles, whips, fists and feet. Police told Osodi they were beating him because of "the pictures you people take."

Osodi suffered cuts and bruises on his body, arms and face. Police smashed his camera and took the rest of his gear, recovered later with the money and other equipment inside of it gone.

Streets largely were empty in the cities of Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Port Harcourt on Tuesday, with residents staying home and shops remaining shuttered for fear of violence and looting.

Nigerian unions launched the strike Monday in protest of a more than 50 percent government increase in the prices of gasoline, kerosene and diesel on June 20. Officials said the hikes were necessary to end shortages and curb smuggling of cheaper Nigerian fuel to neighboring countries.

With the increase, gasoline is 31 cents a liter, equivalent to $1.18 a gallon.

Nigeria Labor Congress officials held a second day of talks Tuesday with government officials. There was no word of any breakthrough.

Many stores and offices in Lagos, the sprawling commercial capital of sub-Saharan Africa's most populous nation, remained barricaded for a second day Tuesday for fear of looting. Gangs of thugs known as "area boys" built burning barricades of tires and garbage in working class neighborhoods.

A few businesses reopened in the wealthy suburbs of Lagos and the capital, Abuja.

In the northern city of Kano, committees of strikers visited the few shopowners who opened their doors Tuesday, forcing them to shut down again.

In the northern city of Kaduna, government workers turned up at their offices but refused to work. The government had earlier warned civil servants who did not show up faced possible dismissal.

Nigeria's courts on Friday had declared the pending general strike illegal. The striking Nigeria Labor Congress has urged attacks against businesses that fail to comply with the strike.

World oil prices moved higher Monday on fears the strike could affect production in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil exporter and the fifth largest source of U.S. imports.

A spokesman for multinational oil giant Shell, the largest company in Nigeria, said Tuesday the protest had not affected the company's production yet, although some Lagos office workers failed to show up for work.

A Shell employee speaking on condition of anonymity said workers were also striking at Shell offices, export terminals and pipeline stations in the oil-rich Niger Delta, where the bulk of Nigeria's oil is drilled.